REVIEW: Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 Premium Edition (PC)

Just as the clickity-clackity sound of the humble typewriter was superseded by the tip-tap of the PC keyboard, could we soon replace even this staple PC accessory with merely the power of our voices? That's more-or-less the idea behind the Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 Premium speech recognition software from Nuance, offering advanced dictation and hands-free PC navigation controls. Is it time to unplug your keyboard and warm up your vocal chords? Read on to find out

8-bit ties, bringing a new meaning to the term "professional gamer"

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We’re lucky here at Shiny Media, we get to wear whatever we damn well please to work. Of course, the team from Brandish sit next to us, so we’re almost certainly getting judged, but it sure beats wearing a suit to work.

If you’re unfortunate enough to have to, though, then although you’ll have to shelve your Pac-Man and Left 4 Dead t-shirts, you can replace them with these gaming ties. Featuring Tetris, Pong, Space Invaders and Asteroids, they’re unashamedly 8-bit. They’re available on Amazon USA and cost $25 a pop.

Tetris, Space Invaders, Asteroids and Pong (via Technabob)

More clothing: Amphibious flippers | NES controller varsity jacket

Denon announces top-end AH-D7000 headphones

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These over-ear headphones are Denon’s latest release to the ‘I’ve got rather a lot of money’ target market. How much money? Well, the AH-D7000s will set you back £800. That’s a lot of money, so you’d be right to ask what you’re getting for that.

You’re getting very high-class components, that’s why. A couple of 2″ drivers with free-edge microfibre diaphragms that’ll play notes up to 45kHz (20kHz is the top end of an average human’s hearing).

You also get housings crafted of mahogany (which I should point out is a highly endangered wood) with carvings on the INSIDE that ‘enhance the natural tonal balance’. The cable is 99.99999% oxygen-free copper, too, so you’ll get absolutely no distortion from that.

What do you think – worth £800? Or snake oil? Let us know your opinion in the comments.

Denon UK

Related posts: Denon DVD-A1UD high-end universal Blu-ray player | Denon DP-200USB turntable – the stylish way to turn your records into mp3s

Pioneer announces HDJ-2000 professional DJ headphones

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I should probably have left this announcement for our resident DJ Duncan, but as an aspiring one (and resident trumpeter) I’ll bring you the news that Pioneer has just announced its HDJ-2000 professional DJ headphones.

Let’s take a look at the specs:

These fully-enclosed dynamic headphones have a decent frequency response of 5Hz-30kHz, 36Ω impedance, 107dB sensitivity, and 3,500mW maximum power input. They are constructed with 50mm dome type drive units and come with a 1.2m-long coiled type connecting lead which connects via mini-XLR…

Manfrotto intros professional grade tripods and remote control units for serious videographers

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Here’s some gear that’s definitely targeted at serious videographers and photographers, given the price tag and niche status of the products.

First up at £19.95 (not too bad, you might think) is the Manfrotto 585 LNC Modosteady remote control. Thing is, it’s designed to be mounted on top of a Manfrotto Modosteady, a beast of a contraption that’s designed to steady attached video cameras the “hardware way” (forget those namby-pamby internal image stabilisers).

Should you be itching to get hold of such a device for your Sony or Canon camcorder, you’ll be pleased to know it’ll be available next month…

The Leica S2 waterproof professional DSLR. New entry at #1 on our Fantasy Next New Camera Chart

It has what Leica calls a “middle format sensor” that contains a spec-sheet-topping 37.5 megapixel CCD that is 56% larger than traditional full-frame 35mm SLRs. If you understand that sort of thing and are now nodding with enthusiasm, the Leica S2 is the camera for you.

If you have recently signed a new contract earning you £55,000 a week even if you’re not playing due to injury, it is also the camera for you, as we’d imagine a new SLR from Leica is going to cost quite a bit. It certainly looks expensive.

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It has a 3″ high-resolution LCD round the back, featuring a 460,000 pixel display so your previews look good, works at “twice the speed of comparable medium-format backs” thanks to its new Maestro image…

LaCie announces 700 Series of LCD monitors for creative pros

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LaCie has announced its new line of LCD monitors, the 700 Series, aimed at creative professionals who need accurate on-screen colour reproduction to be confident about what will be printed.

Available in 20, 24, and 30-inch models, the monitors feature RGB LED backlighting, offering purer red, green and blue colour for a larger range of colours — up to 123% of the Adobe RGB spectrum, in fact…